Gwynne
Duncan received her BFA at Bard College in 1990. Since then she
has been painting in NYC where she grew up. She recently had solo
shows at The Fall Cafe, The Cedar Tavern and The Chelsea Hotel in
NYC. She has been in group shows at A.I.R. Gallery, Gale Gates et
al, Einstein Gallery and The National Arts Club to name a few. She
curated two shows at CB's Gallery - Cartouche in 1998, and
Cartouche II in 2000. In 2001 she curated Illuminated
Interiors at Rubulad in Williamsberg, Brooklyn, and she was
one of the curators for From the Ashes & Witness
at C.U.A.N.D.O.. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

"Self
Portrait", oil/
collage on wood, 30"x40", 1997

STATEMENT

My
paintings are a mix of the dream and waking states. As much as
I want to portray reality, portraiture, landscape, interior, I
am always lured by the dream imagery that haunts me. It is the
fruit and essence of my existence, the world that intrigues me
most. I have always felt torn, one foot down to earth, the other
in the skies. My paintings are about telling a story, but they
always remain mysterious, not all the answers solved, because
that is my view of life. A flower in full bloom on a barren iceberg,
a woman standing before a golden sky- there is an ever-present
element of the make believe.

I
use oil paint, collage, gold leaf and frames to construct my works.
I use the figure in an environment to tell a story. Timeless objects
create symbolism and dream imagery conveys a mood. My work is
nostalgic and naive in style, reminding me of Klimt, Chagall,
Picasso, Gaugan and Utamaro. Within the collage there are other
stories of a hidden nature. Usually faces and hands are painted,
and clothing is made up of fabric or collage. The background is
separated by a hard edge, and is usually an imaginary landscape
or interior.

Although
schooled, I always held onto my primitive cartoon-like depictions,
creating a naive inverted perspective. My figures are stiff and
stylized as the Greek statues were, and the body language and
facial expressions show the translucency of a consciousness. Rigid
figures, cut-outs in Byzantine dress are outlined and immortalized
in ornate frames, standing out from space flattened backgrounds.
Vivid reds of India and gold- isolated and repetitive. Intricate
and detailed, I use symbolism representing the essence and brilliance
of life such as fruit and flowers. There is always a sense of
ambivalence, half dreaming half in reality; half-happy, half-sad.

Women
dominate this fantasy kingdom, which is a character set I created.
My subjects are often about loneliness and relationships, about
my own sense of isolation from society, yet my personal harmony
with it through history. Many of my figures are autobiographical,
and often the same figures appear in painting after painting.

I
was born in New York City in 1968, the middle daughter of a writer
and sculptor, in a building called Westbeth in the west village.
My father is a box sculptor, similar to Joseph Cornell, and my
mother is a feminist writer, who uses surrealism in dream. Their
work was filled with imagery and fantasy, strong color and a heaviness,
all of which I adopted. I wanted to tell a story with imagery
from a young age.

I
went to Music and Art High School, where I became more serious
about painting. I also studied printmaking, sculpture and photography,
which I continue to do as well. I studied figure drawing and painting
at the Art Student's League, and then went on to major in painting
at Bard College, where I received my BFA in 1990. I moved back
to New York City after I graduated from College, and began showing
my work at various galleries in the city and Brooklyn. My work
matured, but I kept my fantasy/portrait style.